Less Nuts is Good (some logical notation and a few recipes)

This is something you would learn about me if you baked anything with me. I like to add more of stuff. TO everything. I somehow feel that I must make every recipe better so people say 'MMMmm this is the best cupcake/brownie/cookie/soup/turkey/chickencordonbleu I've ever tasted! it's kind of what I've got time to be good at around here, so I do what I can. It drives my brother crazy - he's a good cook and a decent baker when he wants to be, but he's worked in restaurants and is pretty much trained to follow the recipe. Me? I never make anything the same twice. It usually has to be 'improved'.

Which is probably why my bisoctti has NEVER worked.
Okay, so the first year wasn't that horrible (probably because Erika or Thea were there with me to keep me reasonable). But every subsequent year, we've had biscotti disaster. This year, it struck me.
Maybe when the recipe SAYS to use 3/4 of a cup of pistachios, it really MEANS 3/4 of a cup pistachios and I should not add an extra half a cup to make it 'better'.

WOW.

So I gave it a try this year, and followed the recipe. And guess what? Most beautiful biscotti EVER! It didn't crumble to a million tasty pieces when I tried to slice it because it didn't have too many nuts. It sliced and baked beautifully (and if I hadn't forgotten about that last tray I'd have four dozen lightly golden slices right now instead of three...we'll work on that for next year).

I guess I had formulated the fallacy in my brain that

I guess I had formulated the fallacy in my brain that if nuts are yummy then more nuts will equal more yummy (formal notation deleted, because it fights  with the html in my post and I don't have a clue how to rectify it)

. My logic’s a little rusty. But I wanted to share this because I can see this year that sometimes my desire to add more and more and more can sometimes impair my ability to enjoy Christmas also. Sometimes, maybe lots of times, less nuts is good. So with that, here is my really-delicious recipe for Christmas biscotti. Add only the amount of pistachios called for. J I’m not, however, going to instruct you on the amount of chocolate coating to use… Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti

2 cups all-purpose flour1

1/2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

1/4 teaspoon salt2 large eggs

3/4 cup pistachios, coarsely chopped

2/3 cup dried cranberries

12 ounces good-quality white chocolate

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a heavy large baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk the flour and baking powder in a medium bowl to blend. Using an electric mixer, beat the sugar, butter, lemon zest, and salt in a large bowl to blend. Beat in the eggs 1 at a time. Add the flour mixture and beat just until blended. Stir in the pistachios and cranberries. Form the dough into a 13-inch long, 3-inch wide log on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until light golden, about 40 minutes. Cool for2 hours.. Place the log on the cutting board. Using a sharp serrated knife, cut the log on a diagonal into 1/2 to 3/4-inch-thick slices. Arrange the biscotti, cut side down, on the baking sheet. Bake the biscotti until they are pale golden, about 15 minutes. Transfer the biscotti to a rack and cool completely. Stir the chocolate in a bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water until the chocolate melts. Dip half of the biscotti into the melted chocolate. Gently shake off the excess chocolate. Place the biscotti on the baking sheet for the chocolate to set. Sprinkle with the sugar crystals. Refrigerate until the chocolate is firm, about 35 minutes. The biscotti can be made ahead. Store them in an airtight container up to 4 days, or wrap them in foil and freeze in resealable plastic bags up to 3 weeks.

So there you have it. Thoughts on being nuts at Christmas (a natural inclination of mine) and a pretty good recipe. AND for you lucky few who found your way here, a peek at my Christmas baking. :) If anyone wants any of my other recipes, I don't keep any of them secret - let me know if you want my sugar cookie, springerle, peppermint bark, chocolate mint cookies or shorbread recipes!)
I hope YOU are having a wonderful week preparing for Christmas too. :)